


Under Observation

by SuburbanSun



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Kyle's Not The Most Observant, Kyle's POV, M/M, Near-ish Future Post S1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 05:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21470476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuburbanSun/pseuds/SuburbanSun
Summary: Alex and Michael show up at the bunker looking like they’ve both had a rough night. Kyle’s sympathetic; really, he is.
Relationships: Alex Manes & Kyle Valenti, Michael Guerin & Kyle Valenti, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 31
Kudos: 205





	Under Observation

Kyle twisted around in his chair to crack his back, not stopping until he heard a satisfying ‘pop.’ He’d gotten minimal sleep in between his late shift at the hospital and his early one at the bunker for research duty, and no matter how accustomed he got to skipping out on sleep, it still made him feel stiff and sore.

The enormous coffee he’d picked up at Bean Me Up on his way over to the bunker helped, but just barely.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time-- 9:06 AM. He started to brainstorm ways he could give Alex shit for being late when he finally arrived. “I was up late saving lives; what’s your excuse?” he muttered, testing it out, then wrinkled his nose. _ Nah, needs to be more clever than that. _

A few minutes later, Kyle was no closer to a punchy comment when Alex made his way into the bunker. He still had his sunglasses on and clutched a coffee cup bearing the Bean Me Up logo that was even bigger than the one Kyle was halfway through drinking. When he slid the sunglasses off his face and nodded hello, Kyle could see the puffy circles under his eyes. Hell, they could probably be seen from _space_. 

“Damn, you look tired,” Kyle said before he could stop himself.

Alex narrowed his eyes as he set his backpack down in the chair next to Kyle, sliding his laptop out of it and placing it on the table. “Thanks very much. You’re too kind. A real pal.” 

Kyle gave him an exasperated look. “I didn’t mean it like _ that_. You just look like you were up late, is all. Rough night?”

Alex busied himself with his laptop, booting it up and plugging in an external hard drive. For a second, Kyle thought maybe he hadn’t heard him, before Alex murmured, “Something like that,” and took a long sip of coffee. Kyle just shrugged, and flipped to where he’d left off cataloging the Project Shepherd files. They worked in silence for a few minutes-- probably for the best until the caffeine kicked in, Kyle thought-- and it was quiet enough that they both jumped when the door to the bunker opened again.

“Aw, you got the research party started without me?” Guerin asked around a yawn as he strolled in. Kyle did his best to suppress his scowl. He hadn’t exactly been thrilled when Alex had suggested Guerin help them comb through the Project Shepherd and Caulfield files. Sure, maybe Guerin had first-hand alien knowledge that could help them link together disparate details, and sure, maybe he also had a right to know what happened to his people, his family. Of course Kyle got that. Didn’t mean he had to like the guy hanging around, making sarcastic comments and alternating between sniping at Alex and avoiding eye contact with Alex entirely. They were on constant tenterhooks around each other, and it made spending time with the two of them, frankly, a giant pain in the ass. 

“That’s what happens when you’re fifteen minutes late,” Kyle couldn’t help but comment. Guerin just raised his coffee cup-- also from Bean Me Up, and honestly, how had they not all run into each other there?-- in a cross between a toast and a salute. 

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “It was kind of a late night.” 

“I was up late saving lives; what’s _ your _ excuse?” _ Nice one, Kyle. _

Guerin opened his mouth to respond, but Alex interrupted before he could get anything out. “Let’s just get to work, shall we? Lots to get through today.” 

Kyle shrugged and turned his attention back to the open file in front of him. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Guerin settle in on the opposite side of the long table, directly across from Alex. _ Great_, Kyle thought, placing mental wagers on how long ‘til they got into an argument, or some kind of emotionally fraught conversation that made it awkward for anyone else in their presence. Kyle knew he wasn’t particularly attuned to stuff like that, but even _ he _ could recognize a hopeless case when he saw one. It bummed him out to see his best friend feeling bummed (and, if he was honest with himself, he didn’t exactly _ love _ seeing Guerin hurting, either). 

For a few minutes, they all three worked in silence: Alex on his laptop scrolling through digital files, and Kyle and Guerin flipping through analog ones. 

“Oh, here,” Alex spoke up. He frowned, patting the pockets of his jacket until he found the right one, and pulled out four coffee creamers. He slid them across the table toward Guerin, who gave him a small smile in return, using his powers to open them and tip them into his coffee cup (the sight of which Kyle still hadn’t gotten used to, and thought he never would). 

“Thanks,” Guerin said, eyes on the folder in front of him. 

Distracted from his research, Kyle watched this play out with a frown on his face. Guerin hadn’t said anything about his coffee. How did Alex know he’d wanted more creamer? And for that matter, why didn’t Guerin just get his _ own _ creamer when he was at Bean Me Up? He couldn't have just _assumed_ Alex would have some. And just how many creamers did Guerin take in his coffee, anyway? Four seemed a bit excessive. _ It’s probably full of sugar, too_, Kyle thought, with a judgmental shake of his head. _ Might as well just drink a milkshake for breakfast. _

He went back to reading, and tried his best to stay focused on the horrors detailed in the files, but after awhile he needed a mental break. A man could only handle so much.

“Did either of you hang out with Liz and Rosa last night?” he asked. “Liz texted me yesterday and said Rosa was feeling cooped up, said she was thinking about places they could go where nobody would get spooked seeing a girl who’s been dead for ten years wandering around.” 

“No, I was--” Alex began.

“Nah, last night I--” Guerin started to say at the same time. 

They exchanged a weighty glance, and Alex pulled his attention back to Kyle first. “Liz texted me too, but I didn’t see it ‘til this morning. I was at the cabin all night.” 

Kyle looked from Alex to Guerin, raising his eyebrows expectantly. 

“I was…” he started, his eyes going wild and wide, as if he were trying to make up a lie on the spot. He huffed out a breath, apparently giving up on the effort. “...also at the cabin.” 

Looking back over at Alex, Kyle saw the crease between his brows deepen as he leaned forward to stare at his computer screen. After a moment, the realization dawned on Kyle-- and how had he not guessed it already?-- that they must have been up late arguing with each other again. _ That _ was why Alex seemed tense, and why they both looked _ so _ exhausted. It had seemed like they’d been getting along better in recent weeks, even occasionally acting like they’d become _ friends_, so it sucked that they’d apparently had the kind of knock-down drag-out fight that left you looking like you’d been through the wringer. That certainly explained the need for giant coffees, and the bags under their eyes, and the-- 

Kyle narrowed his gaze, peering down the table at Alex. Was that a bruise on the side of his neck, just peeking out from under the collar of his jacket? Surely they hadn’t actually _ come to blows_, had they?

He was mentally debating whether he’d be able to break up a fight if they got into it in the bunker (of course he would, he decided, given how often he’d been hitting the gym recently), when Guerin actually _ giggled_. Kyle didn’t know the guy was _ capable _ of giggling, but now he’d heard it with his own two ears. When he looked over at him, Guerin had his head bowed toward the folder in front of him as he tried to hide a smile. 

_ Huh, _ Kyle thought. His eyes darted to Alex, who was diligently scrolling through a file on his laptop. Kyle saw a muscle in his jaw twitch, which drew his attention back down to the bruise on Alex’s neck. The bruise that, when he thought about it, looked an awful lot like--

_ Oh_. 

Dimly, Kyle wondered if he should have paid more attention in his psych rotation in med school. Surely a doctor should be better at picking up on human behavior than he seemed to be. But then, it had been a late night.

For all of them, apparently.

He blinked down at the file in front of him for a moment, then shut it. “Look, I think I get what’s going on here, and… I’m gonna head out.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “I can see if Liz needs any help in the lab, or… just generally be anywhere but here.” He picked up his coffee cup and began to back toward the entrance to the bunker, then blanched. Giving the two of them some space seemed like the best thing to do, unless… “Just… don’t do anything on that table, alright? We _ all _have to sit there.” 

Guerin barked a laugh at that, and Alex ran both hands down his face, which didn’t quite hide the way his cheeks had reddened. 

“See ya, Valenti,” Guerin said, wiggling his fingers in a wave that somehow managed to be sarcastic. 

“I’ll text you later,” Alex said, and the expression on his face was some mix of embarrassed and grateful. At least, Kyle guessed that’s what that look meant; it had become clear to him that he was no expert at reading emotions _or_ body language. 

As he exited the bunker through heavy double doors, he glanced back over his shoulder to see that Guerin had gotten up and drifted around the table to stand behind Alex, both hands on his shoulders. Kyle watched as he dropped a kiss to the top of Alex’s head, watched as Alex shut his eyes, looking, for once, completely at peace.

Kyle couldn’t help but smile. Maybe they weren’t such a hopeless case, after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Want to hang out on Tumblr? I'm [unbreakablejemmasimmons](https://unbreakablejemmasimmons.tumblr.com/) over there!


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